Optical fiber connectors have been used to tap optical signals from optical fibers. Such optical fiber connectors can be used to tap the optical signals from the optical fiber along intermediate points thereof. The optical fiber connector can also be used to terminate the optical fiber. In either arrangement, the optical signals are carried by the optical fiber connector from the optical fiber into an optical device such as a light detecting diode or photo transistor which would then generate an electrical signal based on the tapped optical signal.
One such conventional optical fiber connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,631. An arrangement is disclosed for tapping signal power from an optical fiber waveguide without requiring that the fiber be terminated or broken. An intermediate length of an optical cable (fiber waveguide) from which all or most of the outer cladding has been removed is sandwiched between first and second dielectric bodies. The first optical body is circular and is formed of a relatively compliant dielectric material, such as a soft plastic. The second body is formed of a relatively hard dielectric material such as glass or hard plastic. The two dielectric bodies, and an exposed portion where the cladding has been removed, are placed in a specially designed holder and forced together so that the fiber deforms the first body providing a large area of contact therewith. A photodetector disposed adjacent to the first body detects the power coupled out of the fiber, converting it to a representative electrical signal.
One disadvantage of the disclosed arrangement is the relative complexity of requiring various separate parts to be assembled together to tap the optical signal from the optical fiber.